Lever lock for refrigerator doors



Dec. 29, 1925. 1,567,866

, T. o. SCHRADER LEVER LOOK FOR REFRIGERATOR DOORS Filed July 25, 1925 gmwntoc 613301 was Passed Dec.2 9,1925.

UNITED STATES v 1,567,866 PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS 0. SCHRADER, 0F ALLENTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO DENT HARD- WARE 00., 0F FULLERTON, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

LEVER LOOK FOR REFRIGERATOR DOORS.

Application filed July 23, 1925. Serial No 45,538:

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, THOMAS O. SoHnAnnR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Allentown, inthe county of .Lehigh and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Lever Looks for Befrigerator Doors, .of which the following is a specification."

My invention relates to a lever lock for refrigerator and other doors designed to automatically lock the door by slamming and to be releasedby manual elevations of the lever arm'of the lock to cause a camlike projection of thesaid arm to ride an inclined surface of the keeper for the said lock and 'coincidently of the locking tongue engaging an overhanging part of the said keeper to free the tongue therefrom and thus the door to instantly assume an open position.

To the foregoing ends, my invention consists of a lever lock constructively arranged in substantially the manner hereinafter described and claimed.

The nature and sco e of my present invention will be more ully understood from the following description taken in connec-- tion with the accompanying drawings formin part hereof, in which:

Fig. 1, is a perspective of a fragmentary part of a. refrigerator door and the jamb of the same, showin in application thereto a lever-lock embo ying constructively arranged the main features of my said invention and as shown with the door in a locked condition. v a

Fig. 2, is an end View of the same.

Fig. 3, is a perspective view of a fragmentary part 0 a door and the jamb of the same, showing the lever-lock in connection therewith and as shown with the door ajar or in a partially open position.

Fig. 4, is an end view ofthe keeper with the lever lock in the position it occupies with respect to the said keeper, when the door is 8]&I or in a partially open position; and

Fig.5, is a perspective View of the rear of the keeper, showing the inner overhanging ledge in detail arrangement thereof.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention I have shown in the accompanying drawings one formthereof which is at present preferred by me, since the same has been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which my invention consists can be \variously arranged and organized and that my invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of the instrumentalities as herein shown and described.

Referring to the drawings: a represents a fragmentary part of a door; and a the surrounding jamb for the doo b, is the fiat portion of the keeper of the lever lock of m invention secured to the door jamb a. his keeper is formed with a semi-clrcular part the lower front edge of which is provided with a cone-like front b terminating in an upper curvilinear camlike surface I). In the front coned portion of the keeper is provided an overhanging ledge b, so that in slamming the door looking the same by the front tongue 0 of the long lever arm 0, of the lock engaging under the ledge b, to thereby instantly hold the door in a closed position.

This lever arm 0, is also provided with an integral, rear, cam-like projection 0 arranged to ride the cam-like surface I), of the keeper 6, through manipulation of the said lever-arm a, in an upward direction to release the door from its locked position and thus the door to assume a partially open position, as shown in Fig. 3. The bifurcated part of said lever arm 0, is pivoted at al to a segment-like bearing d, the fiat base d of which is suitably secured to the door a, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

By a semi-rotary movement of the lever arm 0, through pressure exerted against the door it is locked, but to bring the door into an absolutely air-tight condition with relation to the jamb a this is accomplished by simply exerting a slight downward pressure on the said lever arm 0, as well as easily and quickly released from such locked position by the elevating of the said lever arm slightly to thus free the front tongue 0 of the said lever arm 0, from the ledge b, of the keeper 6, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

A construction of the character stated comprising a housing, a door, a keeper having a flat rear plate secured to said housing and projected forwardly from which is a semi-circular member, the forward up er edge of said member being provided with un inrlined cam-like surface and the lower forward edge of said member having extended forwardly therefrom a relatively cone-like formation provided with an inner, overhanging ledge, the outer curved surface of said semi-circular member being continuous and uninterrupted, a lever arm having a bifurcated portion one extension of which is provided w'itha front tongue and a rear cam-like projection formed integral with said bifurcated portion, a flat plate secured to said door and provided with a segmental portion which segmental portion is accommodated by said bifurcated portion, a horizontally arran ed pivot for connectin said lever and said segmental portion w ereby said tongue and rear camlike projection are respectively arranged to automatically engage the keeper ledge, to

lock the door, and to manually ermit by riding of said cam-like surface t e release of the door from a'locked condition.

THOMAS O. SCHRADER. 

